Dorian Thomas Whittaker
Full Name: Dorian Thomas Whittaker Age/Date of Birth: currently 23 years old; born II Duodi Vendémiaire. Gender: male Race/Ethnicity: a quarter Carmaghi on his mother's side, but otherwise full Durant, such as it is Citizenship: Durant Appearance: Dorian has thick, wavy black hair that he tries and fails to keep neatly combed. His nose is large and his brows are dark, but this firmness of appearance is set off by his generally epicene features -- large ears, thin cheeks, and an expressive, mobile mouth. He is quite thin and has never been athletic, which shows in his arms and the slim set of his shoulders. His permanently inkstained fingers are long and his hands are thin; they rarely stop moving, betraying an innately nervous disposition. He is fairly small of stature and about average height, and prefers to be clean-shaven, though he is often too busy, too poor, or both to bother keeping up appearances. Languages spoken: A native speaker of Common Durantian, Dorian has also been schooled in High Ghalean, to an intermediate level, and can manage a written, if not quite spoken, approximation of Florid Durantian. He knows scattered Carmaghi words from his mother. Occupation(s): Due to familial circumstances, Dorian was forced to drop out of school in his last year of university. He currently works as a typesetter at a newspaper printing press, usually taking the nightshift, and moonlights (or daylights) as a subversive political pamphleteer. Likes: romantic poetry, political gossip, coffee with extra sugar, the ocean as a concept but perhaps not so much in reality, Carmaghi history and religion Dislikes: the fact that his typewriter is in need of constant maintenance, rich dandies, war and military officers, weapons, ignorance in both himself and others Biography: Dorian was born in a medium-sized industrial town to a family of tailors -- his mother, Joanna, is a lacemaker and his father, Gideon, makes clothing. He is the youngest of three children and as such was both bullied and protected by his two older brothers as he grew up roaming the streets, attending school religiously, and helping out in his parents' shop. Because of his good performance in school, as well as his burning desire for education and physical fragility when it came to the military, his parents saved up to send him to the Galamont House in High Durant. There, Dorian's eyes were open to the world of politics and the controversy which surrounded Durant's many wars. However, he still preferred to spend his time reading poetry and writing love poems. Both of Dorian's older brothers enlisted into Durant's military as soldiers; Rupert eventually became an captain but was killed in action, and Dean was severely disabled by a bullet to the base of his spine when he was still a lieutenant. These events occurred just before the end of the war and were a severe blow to the Whittaker family, causing Joanna to have a mental breakdown. Although the military provided the family with certain sums of money, they were not enough to compensate for Dean's new medical expenses. It became necessary that Dorian drop out of university and become a full-time worker in order to support his family; however, devastated by the loss of one brother and the disability of another, Dorian refused to return home and remained in High Durant. The devastation he felt also translated into a new dislike of war and violence. Before his brothers' injuries, Dorian never really thought about the costs of war in a concrete way. But ever since such costs were brought home to him, quite literally, his personal philosophy has become increasingly pacifistic and he has begun to involve himself with politics. He does not understand how such grisly and pointless loss of life, on a personal effort, can be any sort of victory for the State, and his political writings, even when not directly about war, are all informed with this question and this personal pain. He has currently found employment as the typesetter for a mechanical press, usually working during the late night and early morning shifts. He keeps up with the latest political news through this job, and can often be found frequenting various cafés during lunch and early evnening time, when political debates often occur. Lately he has not been getting much sleep, as he is absorbed with writing when he isn't working or paying close attention to political debates. Still, he manages as best he can to keep up with his work and sends most of his money back to support his family. Quote: "The religion of Durant is a religion made by those in power for the animalistic masses -- but we are not livestock, to be herded and made move where the farmer wishes! The nobles will hear our voices, and we will make them listen!" "A steam-powered society is a mechanical society, where each gear has its proper place, and each is subordinate to the entire machine. When the machine is working towards a purpose that is within the guidlines of natural, moral law, then the gears shall fall into place as a matter of course. But when the machine is bent towards evil, towards war, these gears will rebel and must be forced into place. This machine is fragile! This machine is Durant." "War is a paradox: it increases industrial output while decreasing industrial efficiency. The workers sent off to die are the same workers who create the guns that kill them." Aliases: Dorian goes by "Dantalion" when writing his political pamphlets, calling himself after the priestess of the Fool's Path, who grants the Fool insight and urges him onward -- he sees himself as a Dantalion for the masses, exposing the corruption at the heart of their society and moving them towards, if not revolution, then some concrete social change. Also, sometimes his mother calls him "Tommy," after his middle name, though Dorian is doing his best to break her of that habit. Sexual Orientation: Flexible. Dorian, a poet at heart, would describe himself as "in love with love." He has had a few relationships with women -- flings, rather, during which he was passionately in love but after which he was not terribly heartbroken -- as well as rather more-than-platonic relationships with some of his fellow male students during his tenure at university. Clothing Style: Most of Dorian's clothing is secondhand, either passed down from his two older brothers or bought at secondhand shops. His dressing style is a mix of utilitarianism and romantic whimsy, his businesslike, political side battling with the interior poet, both constrained by lack of time and lack of funds. He is quite good at sewing and would be able to spruce up his wardrobe immensely, given the time and material, but that doesn't bother him, as his already eclectic, slightly shabby wardrobe helps him look the part of a struggling writer. Religion: Like most of the citizens of Durant, Dorian was raised as a practicing member of the Church of Caelestis Nobilium. As a child, he never gave much thought to religion or the small devotions practiced by his family and his town; however, at university his eyes were opened to what he sees as the idiocy of religion. In his political writings he is vehemently against the power of the Church / nobility. Meanwhile, he has grown interested in the Fool's Path, not as a religion but as a philosophy, and uses his part-Carmaghi heritage as justification for extensive research. Political Affiliation: Dorian is a leftist, radical, anti-establishment Durantine, but more than that, he is vehemently anti-war, and will support whatever political action leads to the least bloodshed. Although he is involved in politics, at the street level, and moonlights as a pamphleteer, his philosophies are juvenile at best, and his real talent is rabble-rousing prose. Education: Dorian is extremely literate and consistently received high marks in his primary schooling. His voracious reading and desire to become more educated prompted his parents to send him to university in High Durant, an option that was available to, but not taken by, his two older brothers. He was achieving a degree in philosophical studies, and was in his last year of classes for his degree, when he was forced to drop out by lack of funds. Currently, he educates himself with many and varied texts on political philosophy. Weapons: No weapon skills, and no desire to obtain them. Special Abilities/Skills: Raised in a sartorial family, Dorian is quite skilled at sewing and has a good eye for the cut of clothes. Luckily, he is also quite talented at writing, which has been his dream career since he was very young. His political pamphlets are rousing and his love poetry is touching, though to be honest, he is only ever really good at one genre at a time. He has also been gifted, by birth of by upbringing, with a rather incisive wit; however, this mostly comes out in his writing, and he stumbles often when he speaks, thinking up the best comebacks too late to use them. Organizations: Dorian has ties to various subversive political organizations, varying from the most left-wing militant groups to small circles of discontented students who frequent the cafés of High Durant. However, he does not take an active role in any of them, preferring to be an observer who can point out corruption and connect each group through his writing. The political groups with which he works, however, do not see Dorian in quite the same way he sees himself; although he is treated well by the students, the more disciplined groups view him with mild tolerance and barely concealed disdain. Mannerisms: It is fashionable, nowdays, for seriously writers to be addicted to something, and so Dorian is trying to cultivate a habit of smoking; however, due to lack of funds and lack of time, it has not gotten very far off the ground. It doesn't help that he always coughs when he smokes, and therefore ends up looking very silly. He also has a bad habit of picking at and biting his nails, which intensifies when he is very stressed and occasionally makes him bleed. When Dorian is passionate about his subject, his speech speeds up and he often stumbles over himself as he tries to explain why he feels the way he does -- he is a writer, not a speechmaker. He also constantly runs his fingers through his hair when emotionally agitated (and often when writing), another reason why his hair is almost always a permanent mess. As for flaws, perhaps Dorian's biggest personal flaw is seeing the world the way he wishes to see it -- he has decided that nobles are bad, that war and fighting are bad, and that his opinions are correct, and it will take quite a shock to convince him otherwise. Even if he finds himself working for or with a noble patron -- for his family's sake, of course, and because he does need the money -- he will constantly feel guilty and question his decision, as well as be less willing to give his patron (or any noble, really) the benefit of the doubt. He is also quite jealous of those who have more than him, and he has internalized this jealousy and made it part of his political philosophy; he's not aware of it as jealousy at all. Relationship(s): Dorian maintains some ties with most of his previous flames; even if they do not meet again, he prefers parting on a cordial note. He thinks he probably has not experienced real love yet, because he supposes the loss of that should leave one much angrier and more depressed than any of his break-ups have left him. Then again, to each his own; Dorian has certainly gained valuable experience and been able to employ his feelings of both love and loss to writing poetry. Currently, he is busy with working and writing and doesn't particularly have time for any love interests. Interests/Hobbies: Study of the Fool's Path and related texts can definitely be counted among Dorian's hobbies, as can his delight for love poetry, which right now is being put aside as he tries to gain a reputation as a political writer to be feared. Despite the dreadful hours and ennui of his current job, he has also gained an interested in the machinations of printing presses, and steam-powered machinery in general, metaphors of which often turn up in his newer works. Family: Dorian idolized his two older brothers, Rupert (six years older) and Dean (two years older), and was subsequently devastated when Rupert was killed by shrapnel in an offensive gone awry, and, barely a month later, the family received news of Dean's injury and subsequent paralysis. Dorian had always been closer to Dean, growing up, and looked up to him greatly; to see Dean now, as a physical and emotional wreck, is extremely painful. Thus, Dorian avoids visiting his family as much as possible, though he does write often. His letters express nothing of his political goals and his family is under the impression that he is getting himself into the newspaper business. He constantly worries about his mother's emotional state, after her breakdown, and uses his feelings about his brothers to inform his own political views. Category:Veillantif